AUCKLAND.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 357, 26 March 1861, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

(From the Register, March 11.)

WAR MOVEMENTS. There have been several arrivals during the past week but no intelligence of interest from any quarter. Our later English Vessels are charged more with munitions of war than of commerce—the Sevilla, Norwood and Bosworthhaying brought us extensive supplies of great guns and small arms, moitars, howitzers, Armstrongs, and rifles, with large quantities of eight and ten inch shells, case shot, and almost every variety of modern projectiles. ; For days past our streets have been crowded with Commissariat, carts and fatigue patties transporting those munitions from the ships to Fort Britomart,. from whence they have again been forwarded to Onehunga for transmission to New, Plymouth, lor which port,H.M. ship Cordelia expected to sail this morning. Much interest prevails with respect to the Armstrong r guns, and the service they are likely to render, when brought into action. The number of gunstreceived is seven, six of which belong to Captain Mercer's battery, the seventhfthaving been forwarded to the Military Storerke^per. They are 12----pounders, with a large snpply of their own peculiar shot and shell, both for store, and in charge of the men belonging to the battery. The shells, which we have seen, bear a good deal of resemblance, in shape, to the Enfield tullet; they are enclosed in anouter case of lead to fit the rifling of the gun; this case gives way when fired, and the forty-nine segments of which the shell is composed are forced forward, thereby greatly enhancing the chances of death and destruction.,

The guns themselves^ with the exception of one, have not been unpacked, but remain in their well secured cases, which are puttied at every seam. Half a battery of three guns go on at once to Taranaki, the other half battery remaining in Auckland. If we are correctly informed, it has already been discovered that the purchase of horses for this battery in Sydney, if not an egregious mistake, has been at least a premature step. One hundred and eighty horses have been bought at, as we are told, an average price ;pf £35 per head, and the Light of the Age,.a. ship of 1300 tons register, has been chartered, and is now on her way hither with them; The lowest amount of this purchase, supposing all the horses to arrive in safety, cannot be mucH under £,] 0,000; but there are other expenses to be incurred here, where paddocks for their keep. are required, and where they must nndergo the necessary training. It is surprising that the authorities in England should have made no inquiry whether horses could not have been procured in New Zealand. A reference to ; the Colonial Blue Boßks would have made them acquainted with the number of horses in this Province; and had ColonVls^Nugent or Laye, or other officers of the 58th Regiment been consulted, the authorities; at the War Office would have learnt what, we believe, has now been discovered, that horses are unsuited for the transportation of guns in the broken ground around Taranaki-; indeed we learn that poles are being fitted to the gun carriages in order to the employment of bullocks. It is to be regretted that so heavy an outlay should have been incurred, but possibly the stud may yet be turned to. other \ and better account. It is quite a sight to visit Fort Britomart, its yards, sheds, and storehouses—all are filling with warlike engines and missiles. The eight and ten inch mortars, with their massive beds are stupendous pieces of ordnance, and it requires no little amount of toil and trouble to get them into position. The howitzers which arrived by the Sevilla have been urgently called for, and we presume they will be speedily, and we hope energetically, at work on the Waitara frontier. ■; . ■'•■■ ■■",-■•:■ . On Saturday, the Albert Barrack Square, where the Artillery are canipetl, and their guns and carriages packed, was crowded* like a fair, the curious of both sexes flocking to have a look at the far-famed Armstrong gun, one of which had been mounted* in the course of the day. Nothing could [ surpass the courtesy of both officers and: men in explaining the operations of loading,, sighting, and working the gun, which is abeautiful piece of mechanism, perfect in. every detail, and highly finished. It is a. 12-pounder and weighs 8 cwt. 2 qrs. 12 lbs.. The charge of powder is 1 £ lbs., and the* shot is used either as shot or shell, as occasion may require; it is in lead, with an. iron disc at th/e butt end, from whence seven: circles formec^of s{iv,en pieces of iron, or 493 segmentsJnalj^.taper towards an iion-faced apex, intoi whjcE; a plug" is screwed, either with a fuse, iLcharged as a shell, or without, if fired as a shot. The, powder and shot are placed in at the heel of ?the gun, and then a plug fitted with ■ a vent, in which to place the tube, is dropped in through an aperture on the upper part of the gun, the breach is. then screwed up against this plug, and the gun is ready for action. In the event of being compelled to abandon the gun, no spiking is required, all that is needed is to carry away the plug when the gun is rendered totally useless. Militia Noticf.—Placards have been issued calling upon trained men to volunteer. Lest the purport of this notice should not be generally understood,^ we beg to state that those men who are inclined to volunteer, and who attend drill from 6 to 8 o'clock in the morning, will be paid each day 3s. 6d. for serjeants, 3s. for corporals, and 2s. 6d. for privates, for their two hours of morning parade. (From the bouthern Cross.) » The remarks which we thought it neces-

6ary to make in our last issue in reference to the present state of the country, seems to" have occasioned unnecessary alarm in some quarters. A strange silence reigns just at present, our contemporaries practically ignore the present state of the country; Government is mute—for the simple reason we believe that they have nothing to tell us —and if any one breaks the solemn silence, people are immediately startled, and all the old wives in the country terrified. In a day or two, however, all is again forgotten, and the world jogs along as pleasantly as ever.

Now, co far from our being alarmists, we wish really to see the province in such a state that an alarm will be impossible, and we do not believe that this desirable end will ever be attained by our not speaking out. Indeed there is no necessity for any secrecy in discussing the general state of the war, though of course caution must be used in making public matters relating to particular military movements, or in speculating on their probable results. But everything is to be gained by organising our means of defence in such an open, and even ostensible manner that those who otherwise from ignorance might be inclined to test their strength experimentally, may be induced wisely and prudently to forego the attempt. ;',';

( From'thti New Zealander.) The steam ship Lord Worsley sailed for Sydney on Tuesday last. It is said she will be the last direct steamer between Auckland and Sydney for some little time to come, the Company having declined to accept the preferred subsidy (£3,500) of the Auckland Provincial Government, and therefore failing back upon the Nelson and Manukau route. No arrangement satisfactory to the merchants or adapted to the acquirements of the postal despatch of Auckland has ever yet been performed by the Pearson Coleman Company's steamers. It is to be hoped however, that when tha General Assembly shall meet, that the question will be thoroughly sifted, and that a new and amended route, such as will confer an equal benefit upon all the ports and settlements of New Zealand, and which will connect us equally with Melbourne as with Sydney, may be established. The Lord Worsley is to be laid up on arrival at Sydney, Captain Johnson being transferred to and taking command of the Airedale. In the meantime with respect to the Auckland and Sydney trade, it affords us pleasure to state that energetic measures have already been adopted to keep up a fortnightly communication by means of sailing vessels of a first class character, which, in concert with our famous clipper Kate, will be placed upon the line, sailing with punctuality and despatch, and at a moderate rate of freight and passage money. Only clippers, of approved speed, and with select passenger accommodation will be employed, and we understand that more than one of that class have already been sought out.

An offer has been made to a merchant of this city, by a party in Melbourne, of a paddle wheel steamer, nearly new, and admirably adapted for a ferry boat, deliverable at about £1500. She steams eight kots, consumes 10 cwt. of coals in 12 hours, is of 15 hoise power, carries 8 horses and 8 drays on deck, and has accommodation for 35 passengers.